Christian Research Newsletter

1. The New World Translation
2. Reincarnation and the Bible
3. Confronting Doctrinal Error

by Dr. Walter Martin

articles from the Christian Research
Newsletter, Volume 3: Numbers 3,4 and 5, 1990.

The Editor of the Christian Research Newsletter is Ron Rhodes.

The New World Translationby Dr. Walter Martin
From the From The Founder column of the Christian Research
Newsletter, Volume 3: Number 3, 1990

Dr. Julius R. Mantey was a first-rate scholar who studied
Greek for more than 65 years. He was well known for A Manual
Grammar of the Greek New Testament , which he co-authored with Dr.
H. E. Dana. The following is a discussion that took place between
Dr. Martin and Dr. Mantey on the Jehovah's Witnesses' New World
Translation.

Dr. Martin: In John 1:1, the New World Translation (NWT) says
that "the Word was a god," referring to Jesus Christ. How would
you respond to that?

Dr. Mantey: The Jehovah's Witnesses (JWs) have forgotten
entirely what the order of the sentence indicates -- that the
"Logos" has the same substance, nature, or essence as the Father.
To indicate that Jesus was just "a god," the JWs would have to use
a completely different construction in the Greek.

Dr. Martin: You once had a little difference of opinion with
the Watchtower about this and wrote them a letter. What was their
response to your letter?

Dr. Mantey: Well, as a backdrop, I was disturbed because they
had misquoted me in support of their translation. I called their
attention to the fact that the whole body of the New Testament was
against their view. Throughout the New Testament, Jesus is
glorified and magnified -- yet here they were denigrating Him and
making Him into a little god of a pagan concept.

Dr. Martin: What was their response to what you said?

Dr. Mantey: They said I could have my opinion and they would
retain theirs. What I wrote didn't phase them a bit.

Dr. Martin: I don't know whether you're aware of it, but
there is not a single Greek scholar in the Watchtower Bible and
Tract Society. I did everything I could to find out the names of
the translating committee of the NWT, and the Watchtower wouldn't
tell me a thing. Finally, an ex-JW who knew the committee members
personally told me who they were, and the men on that committee
could not read New Testament Greek; nor could they read Hebrew; nor
did they have any knowledge of systematic theology -- except what
they had learned from the Watchtower. Only one of them had been to
college, and he had dropped out after a year. He briefly studied
the biblical languages while there.

Dr. Mantey: He was born in Greece, wasn't he?

Dr. Martin: Yes, he read modern Greek, and I met him when I
visited the Watchtower. I asked him to read John 1:1 in the Greek
and then said, "How would you translate it?" He said: "Well, 'the
word was a god.'" I said: "What is the subject of the sentence?" He
just looked at me. So I repeated, "What is the subject of the
sentence?" He didn't know. This was the only person in the
Watchtower to read Greek and he didn't know the subject of the
sentence in John 1:1. And these were the people who wrote back to
you and said their opinion was as good as yours.

Dr. Mantey: That's right.

Dr. Martin: Often we find JW publications quoting scholars.
Do they quote these people in context?

Dr. Mantey: No. They use this device to fool people into
thinking that scholars agree with the JWs. Out of all the Greek
professors, grammarians, and commentators they have quoted, only
one (a Unitarian) agreed that "the word was a god."

Dr. Martin: You have been quoted as saying that the
translators of the NWT are "diabolical deceivers."

Dr. Mantey: Yes. The translation is deceptive, and I believe
it's a terrible thing for a person to be deceived and go into
eternity lost, forever lost because somebody deliberately misled
him by distorting the Scripture!

Dr. Martin: What would you say to a JW who was looking for
the truth?

Dr. Mantey: I would advise him to get a translation other
than the NWT, because ninety-nine percent of the scholars of the
world who know Greek and who have helped translate the Bible are in
disagreement with the JWs. People who are looking for the truth
ought to know what the majority of the scholars really believe.
They should not allow themselves to be misled by the JWs and end up
in hell.

These words were excerpted from the tape, "Martin and Mantey
on the New World Translation" (catalogue number C-118). It is
available from CRI for $5.95.

Reincarnation and the Bibleby Dr. Walter Martin
From the From The Founder column of the Christian Research
Newsletter, Volume 3: Number 4, 1990.

One of the key teachings of the New Age movement is the
doctrine of reincarnation. The latest survey on reincarnation
indicates that more than 58 percent of Americans polled either
definitely believe in it or believe it to be a distinct
possibility.

The New Age movement relies heavily on the concept of "cyclic
rebirth" operating according to the "law of karma" (i.e., what you
sow, you reap in identical proportions). Justice is satisfied in
that no matter how long it takes and how many successive
reincarnations are necessary, a person keeps on paying for his
misdeeds until his "bad karma has been balanced by good karma."

New Testament passages are often cited by New Agers to
substantiate the doctrine of reincarnation. Let us briefly examine
three of these:

"And if you are willing to accept it, he [John the Baptist] is
the Elijah who was to come" (Matt. 11:7-14, NIV).
Reincarnationists claim Jesus was stating here that John the
Baptist was a reincarnation of the prophet Elijah.

Christian Response: This argument can be diffused by simply
pointing out that the role or ministry of John the Baptist was "in
the spirit and power" of Elijah's ministry (Luke 1:17). The text
nowhere states that John the Baptist was literally Elijah
reincarnated. The fact is that when John the Baptist was asked
whether he was Elijah, he flatly denied it (John 1:21). Jesus was
simply stating that John the Baptist was fulfilling functionally
and prophetically the ministry of Elijah as the "voice of the one
crying in the wilderness."

"Jesus declared, 'I tell you the truth, no one can see the
kingdom of God unless he is born again" (John 3:3).
Reincarnationists argue that Jesus was referring to cyclic rebirth
when He said that one must be born again.

Christian Response: The context of John 3:1-12 is clearly
speaking of spiritual rebirth, not physical rebirth. Jesus made
this very point in verse six when He said, "Flesh gives birth to
flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit." Furthermore, the
phrase "born again" is often translated "born from above," keeping
true to the original language. Implicit in this statement is the
biblical doctrine of regeneration or conversion, an event that
takes place only once and has nothing remotely to do with cyclic
rebirth. Peter states the same thought when he wrote: "For you have
been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable,
through the living and enduring word of God" (1 Pet. 1:23).

"As [Jesus] went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His
disciples asked him, 'Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents,
that he was born blind?'" (John 9:1-2). Reincarnationists argue
that this proves the disciples believed in karma and reincarnation:
this man was born blind because of wrongdoing he had committed in
his previous life.

Christian Response: Whatever the disciples believed (and
there are several possibilities), Jesus did not endorse it:
"Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but this happened so that
the work of God might be displayed in his life" (John 9:3). Had
this been a situation involving reincarnation and karma, Jesus
clearly would not have said what He did.

I believe that the doctrine of reincarnation is a subtle and
masked attack against the salvation that Jesus Christ purchased at
the Cross. Scripture tells us that "by one sacrifice he has made
perfect forever those who are being made holy" (Heb. 10:14). The
writer of Hebrews does not fail to remind us repeatedly that Christ
"by himself purged our sins, [and] sat down on the right hand of
the Majesty on high" (1:3).

As for a so-called "second chance," Hebrews tells us that "it
is appointed for men to die once [Greek: "once for all"] and
after this comes judgment" (9:27). Scripture tells us that we are
appointed to die "once," but the reincarnationist in his teaching
is appointed to die almost endlessly, and in the end to no avail.
How true the words of Scripture ring: "For it is by grace you have
been saved, through faith -- and this not from yourselves, it is
the gift of God -- not by works, so that no one can boast" (Eph.
2:8-9).

These words were adapted from Dr. Martin's book, The New Age
Cult. It is available from CRI for $5.95.

Confronting Doctrinal Errorby Dr. Walter Martin
From the From The Founder column of the Christian Research
Newsletter, Volume 3: Number 5, 1990.

In the course of delivering numerous lectures on the cults and
their relationship to the Christian church, one of the most
frequent questions addressed to me has been, "Why should Christians
oppose and criticize the beliefs of others -- whether they be cults
or other world religions?"

To answer this question, we must first recognize that to oppose
and criticize is neither unethical, bigoted, or un-Christian;
rather, it is the epitome of proper Christian conduct where a very
vital part of the Christian witness is concerned. Some people feel
it is beneath their dignity to engage in criticism of the beliefs
of others, and the society in which we live has done much to foster
this attitude. "Live and let live" is the motto of our
civilization; don't buck the tide of uncritical tolerance, or, as
the saying goes, "bend with the wind or be broken."

We must remember, however, that controversy in itself has
always been a stimulus to thought, and in our own great country has
provoked many needed reforms in numerous instances. Moreover, the
criticism of another's religious beliefs does not necessarily
postulate personal antagonism toward those who entertain such
beliefs. Hence, it is possible for a Protestant to criticize Roman
Catholicism or Judaism, for example, without being in the least
antagonistic to members of either faith.

Let us not forget that honest criticism and debate involves the
basic right of freedom of speech within constitutional limits; and
the New Testament itself reflects in a startling way the fact that
Christianity was built and nourished upon the controversy which it
provoked. It was said of the early Christians that they "turned the
world upside down" (Acts 17:6); indeed, the message of the Cross
itself is offensive and controversial by nature. Robert Ingersoll,
the late great agnostic and renowned antagonist of Christianity,
was wise enough to recognize this fact and stated in his famous
lectures, "If this religion is true, then there is only one Savior,
only one narrow path to life. Christianity cannot live in peace
with any other religion."

There are many reasons why Christians should speak out against
false beliefs. First and foremost is the historical fact that Jesus
Christ and His apostles warned repeatedly of the danger of false
prophets and teachers. And just as Jesus and the apostles
constantly spoke out against religious error to protect the church
from peril, so must Christians today.

Throughout His entire ministry, our Lord was constantly on
guard against professional interrogators who masqueraded as
religious, pious, and even tolerant zealots, and who professed that
they were the descendants of Abraham -- heirs to the covenant and
the servants of God. To these people our Lord addressed His most
scathing denunciations, calling them among other things "whited
sepulchres," "children of the devil," "dishonorers of God,"
"liars," "murderers," and "wolves."

Using language similar to our Lord, the apostle Paul warned
against the same kind of people, calling them ""enemies of the
cross of Christ" (Phil. 3:18). He describes these dangerous
individuals as "false apostles and deceitful workers transforming
themselves into the apostles of Christ" (2 Cor. 11:13).

For Christians to neglect such heretical individuals and not
challenge their teachings head-on is to do so at the peril of the
church. The warnings Christ and His apostles have given in
Scripture represent a call for Christians to act -- a call to
confront doctrinal error wherever and whenever it surfaces.

Unpopular though it may be, all true Christians should be
unequivocally committed to challenging false teachers for no other
reason than out of respect for our Lord. Certainly if our mothers,
wives, children, or country were attacked and misrepresented, our
love for them would compel us to defend them. How much more, then,
should love for our Redeemer so motivate us in the defense of Him
and His gospel.

These words were adapted from Dr. Martin's book, The Kingdom
of the Cults (Bethany House Publishers). It may be purchased from
CRI for $15.95.

End of document, CRN0031A.TXT (original CRI file name),
"The New World Translation," "Reincarnation and the Bible," and
"Confronting Doctrinal Error"
release A, June 30, 1994
R. Poll, CRI

A special note of thanks to Bob and Pat Hunter for their help in
the preparation of this ASCII file for BBS circulation.

Copyright 1994 by the Christian Research Institute.

COPYRIGHT/REPRODUCTION LIMITATIONS:
This data file is the sole property of the Christian Research
Institute. It may not be altered or edited in any way. It may
be reproduced only in its entirety for circulation as "freeware,"
without charge. All reproductions of this data file must contain
the copyright notice (i.e., "Copyright 1994 by the Christian
Research Institute"). This data file may not be used without the
permission of the Christian Research Institute for resale or the
enhancement of any other product sold. This includes all of its
content with the exception of a few brief quotations not to
exceed more than 500 words.

If you desire to reproduce less than 500 words of this data file
for resale or the enhancement of any other product for resale,
please give the following source credit: Copyright 1994 by the
Christian Research Institute, P.O. Box 7000, Rancho Santa
Margarita, CA 92688-7000.